All Ontario schools, including those at the TDSB, have been ordered to close from March 14 to April 5 amid ongoing concerns about Coronavirus. More details will be communicated when known.

March 9, 2020

This
afternoon ETFO announced that if a deal is not reached, its members will be
resuming rotating strikes on March 23, 2020.

We will keep you informed as
more details are known.

February 24, 2020

ETFO’s Phase 6 of job action (beginning this Wednesday Feb 26) currently does not include any strike days up to March 6. Phase 7 will begin on March 9 if a settlement is not reached. We will keep you informed should any of this change.

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February 20, 2020 - ETFO Update

Any ETFO strike dates for next week have not been announced yet. We will not know details about future job sanctions until Monday February 24.

It was announced today that there will be ETFO/OSSTF (Elementary and Secondary) strike in TDSB schools on Friday February 21, 2020. There will be no school for students if a deal is not reached.

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February 10, 2020

JRR Lip Sync rehearsals and performances have been postponed until further notice. We will reschedule at a later date.

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February 5, 2020

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We wanted to provide you with an update on job action being taken by the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO), which is in ongoing contract negotiations with the Government of Ontario and the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association.

ETFO has indicated that they will be proceeding with their previously announced strikes this week. As a result, all TDSB elementary schools will be closed to students on the following dates:

Thursday, February 6, 2020 – province-wide strike

Friday, February 7, 2020 – rotating strike impacting the TDSB

ETFO has also recently announced strikes for the next week on the following dates:

Tuesday, February 11, 2020 – province-wide strike

Wednesday, February 12, 2020 – rotating strike impacting the TDSB

As with previous strike days, the TDSB would have no other option but to close all elementary schools to students on these days as there would not be sufficient supervision to ensure their safety. Parents/guardians should start making alternate arrangements for their children on these dates.

Child care centres located in elementary schools will be permitted to stay open. Please contact the child care provider directly for more information. TDSB Extended Day Programs will also be open to currently enrolled students for a full day of programs. EarlyON Child and Family Centres will operate during their regular hours. Should the strikes continue as planned, all International Languages Elementary and African Heritage classes would be cancelled. However, all adult non-credit programs, such as Adult ESL and Learn4Life, will continue to run.

As a reminder, please note that Friday, February 14, 2020 is a PA Day for parent-teacher interviews and Monday, February 17, 2020 is a provincial holiday – Family Day.

Should there be any significant updates or changes to the strikes planned for this week or next week, we will communicate directly with parents/guardians as quickly as possible. As always, for ongoing labour updates, please visit the TDSB website and follow @tdsb on Twitter.

from the Director and Chair

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STRIKE UPDATE as of February 5, 2020

It was announced yesterday that in addition to Feb 6 & 7, there will be ETFO strikes in TDSB elementary schools on Feb 11 and 12. There will be no school for students on Tuesday and Wednesday next week if a deal is not reached.

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STRIKE UPDATE as of February 3, 2020

The ETFO/ETT strike dates of February 6 and 7 are still in place. There will
be no classes for students both days, as well as no Pizza Lunch or
International Language classes on Thursday. Pizza Lunch will be rescheduled at
a later date. International Language classes have been rescheduled for next
Thursday February 13.

Additionally, Zodiactors this week will be Wednesday after school. The JRR
Childcare Centre will be open February 6 and 7.

As you are aware, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) is currently engaged in legal job action that involves both work-to-rule (selected withdrawal of services) and full strike action. As always, learning continues in classrooms across the TDSB, and teachers remain committed to supporting students and keeping parents/guardians informed of their child’s progress. Current job action has resulted in the following changes:

Individual Education Plans

Teachers will continue to update Individual Education Plans (IEPs) with goals and expectations. For students who are on alternative expectations, teachers will provide a comment to administrators for each of the expectations. For students with IEPs who have accommodations and/or modifications, a mark will be reported to administration, with an indication that they have an IEP for that subject. IEPs will be updated, but will not be provided to families at this time. Parents/guardians can contact their child’s teachers directly to learn about their progress.

Elementary Report Cards

Teachers will continue to evaluate and assess students but will not enter marks and/or learning skills electronically. Due to the significant time and resources required to input accurate marks and learning skills for the TDSB’s approximately 174,000 elementary students, the TDSB is not able to produce Term 1 report cards. This difficult decision was made after careful consideration and a thorough review of all options.

We know that report cards are an important measurement of student progress. However, it is important to reiterate that teachers will continue to assess and evaluate students and respond to parent/guardian inquiries about student progress. See below for more information about parent-teacher interviews.

While teachers will be providing school administrators with a class list of marks and learning skills, at this time, we will not be able to provide marks to parents/guardians. Beyond the significant operational and logistical challenges associated with this, marks alone, without comments or context, do not provide a complete picture of a student’s progress. As always, parents/guardians can contact their child’s teachers to learn about their progress.

Kindergarten Communication of Learning

Kindergarten teachers will write one brief comment per section for the Kindergarten Communication of Learning, and will not input it electronically. As a result, the TDSB is not able to produce Kindergarten Communication of Learning for students at this time. Should parents/guardians have questions about their child’s progress, they can contact their Kindergarten teachers and/or designated early childhood educators directly.

Parent-Teacher Interviews Elementary parent-teacher interviews scheduled to take place during the PA day on Friday, February 14 will continue as normal. Teachers continue to evaluate and assess students and are committed to keeping parents/guardians informed. Parents/guardians are encouraged to contact their child’s teachers directly to make arrangements to receive a progress update on their child.

In addition to the PA day, parents/guardians can also contact their child’s teachers to set up an interview/phone call as long as it falls within the reduced workday as per ETFO’s sanctions (30 minutes before the start of the instructional day and 15 minutes after the end of the instructional day). As always, if teachers have concerns about a student’s progress/achievement, they will proactively contact parents/guardians to discuss.

I want to reiterate that learning continues in classrooms across the TDSB and all staff continue to support the achievement and well-being of all students.

Sincerely,

John Malloy Director of Education

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Labour Update: ETFO Strike Action on Feb. 6 & 7

We are writing to update you on recently announced job actions by the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO).

As you know, ETFO is currently in contract negotiations with the Government of Ontario and the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association, and the union has been taking part in a selected withdrawal of services since November 2019.

Today, ETFO announced that if no agreement is reached by January 31, ETFO members will be required to engage in a one-day rotating strike and a one-day full provincial strike each week.

ETFO has announced strikes on the following dates that will impact all TDSB elementary schools (JK-8):

Thursday, February 6, 2020 – province-wide strike

Friday, February 7, 2020 – rotating strike impacting the TDSB

Should the strikes take place, the TDSB would, once again, have no other option but to close all elementary schools to students on Thursday, February 6 and Friday, February 7 as there would not be sufficient supervision to ensure their safety. Parents/guardians should start making alternate arrangements for their children on these dates.

In addition, ETFO also announced that, as of February 3, its members will no longer participate in extracurricular activities at any time. As part of previous work-to-rule sanctions, ETFO members only participated in extracurricular activities during the school day. With today’s announcement, we regret that, as of February 3, all elementary extracurricular activities that have continued to occur will no longer run.

We know that this information may be concerning to you and we appreciate your continued understanding. We remain hopeful that an agreement with ETFO can be achieved soon. Despite these challenges, learning continues in classrooms across the TDSB, taught by teachers who remain committed to the achievement and well-being of all students.

We will continue to keep parents/guardians informed throughout this process. As always, for ongoing labour updates, please visit the TDSB website and follow @tdsb on Twitter.

Sincerely,

********************************************

January 24, 2020

Dear school community members:

Re: Coronavirus (2019-nCoV)

Toronto Public Health (TPH) has received questions from members of the school community about the spread of a new coronavirus in Wuhan, China (referred to as 2019-nCoV). There have been no laboratory confirmed cases of this new coronavirus in Canada and the risk of cases occurring in Canada is low, however, we are writing to provide you with this update on the situation.

Human coronaviruses are common throughout the world and can cause mild, moderate or severe respiratory illness in some people. Symptoms of the 2019-nCoV have included fever, cough and difficulty breathing and studies are underway to try and understand this virus better. As of January 22, 2020, cases of this new disease have been identified in other areas of China, Thailand, Macau, Hong Kong, the Republic of Korea, Japan, Taiwan and two cases in the United States. We continue to monitor this situation closely along with our provincial and federal public health colleagues, and plans are in place to respond as this situation changes.

The 2019-nCoV virus has been identified at the same time as influenza and many other respiratory viruses are circulating in Toronto, which is common at this time of the year. As a reminder, influenza, also known as the flu, can spread to others before symptoms even appear. Typical flu symptoms include sudden onset of high fever, chills, sore throat, cough and muscle aches. Other common symptoms include headache, loss of appetite and feeling tired. Recovering from the flu usually takes a week to 10 days, but for some people it can worsen pre-existing medical conditions such as asthma or heart disease.

Members of the public are advised to take the usual measures to reduce the risk of transmission of the flu and respiratory illness. These measures include:

get a yearly influenza vaccination, available from clinics and pharmacies;

wash your hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer;

cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze;

if you don’t have a tissue, sneeze or cough into your sleeve or arm; and

stay home if you are ill.

Residents who return from recent international travel and become ill with respiratory signs and symptoms such as cough and fever are reminded to report their travel history to any health professional, or emergency department staff, when they visit.

The Ontario Minister of Health has made this new disease reportable to public health so that if potential cases are identified in Toronto, they will be promptly reported to the Medical Officer of Health. Information has been provided to hospitals to increase their screening processes for individuals who present with signs and symptoms of this new disease, and have travelled to Wuhan, China. This will help ensure cases are identified promptly and actions taken to prevent its spread.

As this situation continues to change, we will continue to share information promptly.

Labour Update: Elementary Report Cards

I wanted to provide you with an update with regards to ongoing job action by the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO), which is currently in negotiations with the Government of Ontario and the Ontario Public School Boards' Association (OPSBA) to achieve a new collective agreement. Since November 2019, ETFO members have been engaged in legal job action, which includes sanctions related to report cards. As per the sanctions, teachers will not:

complete Term 1 Report Cards – teachers will provide the school administrator with a class list of marks for the various subjects/strands taught, or one brief comment per frame for the Kindergarten Communication of Learning;

undertake the role of report card administrator;

file the Progress Report, the Term 1 Report Card or the Kindergarten Communication of Learning.

As teachers will not be entering marks, learning skills and/or comments electronically, we are not able to produce Term 1 report cards or the Kindergarten Communication of Learning. I want you to know that this difficult decision was made after careful consideration and a thorough review of all options. However, it is not possible to produce accurate report cards for the TDSB’s approximately 174,000 elementary students given the significant resources and time required to do so.

We regret that report cards will not be produced as we know they are an important measurement of student progress. It is important to note that teachers are still expected to assess and evaluate students and respond to your inquiries. Should you wish to speak with your child’s teacher, you may do so during the school day. Parent-Teacher interviews scheduled for Friday, February 14 are also expected to continue as normal. For students with Individual Education Plans (IEPs), they will continue to be updated during this job action.

We thank you for your patience and understanding during this time. Should you have any further questions about report cards or your child’s IEP, please speak with your school Principal.

Sincerely,

John Malloy

Director of Education

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Labour Update: ETFO One-Day Strike Announced

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has announced today that, should there be no progress in negotiations, its members will conduct a one-day walkout (full withdrawal of services) at a number of school boards, including the Toronto District School Board, on Monday, January 20, 2020. They will return to work on Tuesday, January 21.

Should the walkout take place, the TDSB would have no other option but to close all elementary schools (JK to 8) to students as there would not be sufficient supervision to ensure their safety. As a result, parents/guardians should begin making alternate arrangements for their children.

Childcare centres located in elementary schools will be permitted to stay open. Please contact the childcare provider directly for more information.

ETFO is in negotiations with the Government of Ontario and the Ontario Public School Boards' Association (OPSBA) to achieve a new collective agreement for elementary teachers.

Should there be any significant updates, we will communicate directly with parents/guardians. As always, for ongoing labour updates, please visit the TDSB website and follow @tdsb on Twitter.

Sincerely,

*******************************************************

Friday January 10, 2020

Dear Parents,

We have recently been informed that the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO), intends to escalate their work to rule sanctions as of Monday January 13th.

So, as of this date, ALL extra-curricular activities and field trips have been cancelled until further notice.This withdraw of services does NOT affect Itinerant Band, After 4 Programming or International Languages as these are not lead by ETFO members.

REMINDER: Please do not send your children to school before 8:45AM and pick up your children promptly at 3:35PM. As per usual, yard supervision will begin at 8:45AM and 3:35PM for 15 mins. Any remaining students outside at the end of the day will be escorted to the office.

Once you have submitted the online registration, please contact the main office via telephone (416-393-9400) to book an appointment to bring your child’s supporting documents. Kindergarten in-person registration
will be February 10-14, 2020.

If you have any other questions or concerns please contact our school. Thank You !

We acknowledge we are hosted on the
lands of the Mississaugas of the Anishinaabe, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and
the Wendat. We also recognise the enduring presence of all First Nations, Métis
and Inuit peoples.

John Ross Robertson Junior Public School is a Kindergarten to Grade 6 school located at 130 Glengrove Avenue in the Toronto District School Board in Toronto, Ontario Canada.

Since opening in 1921, John Ross Robertson has offered stimulating academic and enrichment programs for elementary students. Our motto is "Learning Together". The word Learning reflects our focus on high academic standards and on helping students reach their full potential. The word Together reflects our collaborative culture where students, teachers, parents and community members work as a team. The mission of the school is "To build the best within ourselves and find the good within each other".

As part of the Toronto District School Board, we value

each and every student;

a strong public education system;

a partnership of students, schools, family and community;

the uniqueness and diversity of our students and our community;

the commitment and skills of our staff;

equity, innovation, accountability and accessibility; and

learning environments that are safe, nurturing, positive and respectful.

Our website is one way we can demonstrate these values.

Click on the menu items (to the left) to find out more about our school.